


I just met you (but you took my breath away)

by TheWritingManiac



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Annabeth Chase - Freeform, F/M, Fluffy, Percabeth AU, cuteness, high school!au, percabeth, percy jackson - Freeform, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingManiac/pseuds/TheWritingManiac
Summary: In which Annabeth meets this random guy in Central Park, and somehow they just seem to click. Or, the one where Percy finds a pair of sunglasses, and it might have been the best find of his life. Percabeth AU, complete.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi people! I finally made an AO3, so I'm posting all my old stories from FF on here. If this is your first time reading, I hope you enjoy! :)

There was something unnerving about him.  
It wasn’t necessarily how he looked – about seventeen, muscular, browned skin, sea-green eyes and scruffy black hair. It wasn’t the way he sat, inconspicuously blending with the rest of the busy New York residents on a sagging bench in Central Park, watching people busily scrambling by, checking their phones and taking no notice of the beautiful sunshine in the middle of the crowded city. It wasn’t even the way he hadn’t touched his hotdog, sitting greasy and delicious on an oily paper next to him; Annabeth couldn’t stand wasted food.  
No, the guy made her uncomfortable with the cautious way he gazed at her, unblinking and alert as a cat ready to spring.  
Annabeth shivered unknowingly, tired of the feeling of being watched that he gave her. She was in New York, mingling with millions of others on the crowded sidewalks. Absolutely no reason for him to single her out.  
Then she _really_ got creeped out. He actually got up from the bench and began walking toward her.  
A normal person would probably have walked away. A paranoid person might have screamed for help. But Annabeth was neither normal nor paranoid. More like crazy. So she calmly finished her sandwich, gazing out over the trees rustling in the wind, feeling the sun on her back and sweat beginning to creep down her neck.  
“Excuse me?”  
Annabeth turned. The young man was now right next to her. Resisting the urge to jump out of her skin, she smiled a bit hurriedly. “Hello, do you need something?”  
The other teen smiled. Annabeth distractedly found herself noticing that he had a nice smile. “You dropped these.”  
In his hand were her sunglasses. “Oh, thanks,” laughed Annabeth nervously, taking the sunglasses and sliding them on top of her head. She half-hoped the boy would leave, and to her annoyance, half-hoped he would stay. Surprisingly, he did.  
“Do you live around here?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bench next to her.  
“Yeah, for now,” Annabeth replied, somewhat cautiously.  
“I live a couple of blocks away from here, with my mom,” the young man replied, grinning. “So what’s your name?”  
“Annabeth,” she answered. “Yours?”  
“Percy Jackson,” he replied easily. “Are you doing anything of importance right now?”  
“Well, I’m supposed to be working on an architectural report for school,” Annabeth admitted sheepishly. “But my mind doesn’t want to focus on it right now, I think.”  
He smiled. Annabeth refused to acknowledge to herself how cute and infectious his grin was. And nope, those sea-green eyes were definitely not making her blush. Certainly not.  
“You’re interested in architecture?” Percy asked. “That’s cool. I don’t really understand stuff like that, to be honest, but it’s still cool.”  
Annabeth found herself laughing, and what? She never laughed like this, a breathless giggle combined with flushed cheeks that were due to more than just the warm Indian-summer day. “At least you’re honest, right? What are you interested in?”  
He shrugged, grinning. “Well, I enjoyed being on the swim team last year. Tryouts for this year are next Wednesday, I think, so I’ll be doing that again.”  
Annabeth answered, and somehow she and Percy slipped into a conversation about the most random things, and oh look she was blushing again at his passing comment that her blonde curls “looked like a princess”, and then he was blushing too and they were laughing together. And it was strange because Annabeth didn’t make friends this easily and she didn’t even like to talk to people, certainly not random guys on the streets of New York and this shouldn’t be happening but somehow it just was, and it was _so easy_ to talk with Percy –  
“And since I’m currently a bit at a loss for fun right now as well, do you want to hang out?” Percy asked, jerking her back to their conversation.  
Annabeth hesitated. It probably wasn’t a smart thing to do, hang out with a random boy from the streets of New York that she had met literally thirty minutes ago. But she felt drawn to him, in a way she couldn’t explain. Not just because he was pretty good-looking – although that surely was part of it, she admitted sheepishly to herself. No, there was something else. He was sweet and cute and innocent, and honestly it felt so good to have a friend to hang out with that her mind didn’t even put up much of a fight. Her dad wouldn’t care what she did or what time she would be back, so what did she have to lose? She still had three days before the report was due.  
Slowly, she nodded. “Sure. I’m game. Whatcha wanna do?”  
He gestured toward the hotdog stand across the road. “First, I’m starved. I took one bite of the hot dog I got from there, a dog ran through my legs, I fell flat on my face and it rolled into the dirt. Not the dog, my food.” He paused to grin wryly, and Annabeth was laughing out loud. “Anyway, the bite I did have was pretty good. Are you hungry?”  
They walked across the street and grabbed two hotdogs and sodas. Despite Annabeth’s protests, Percy paid. With their lunch in hand, they walked back to where the sand started and began to walk down the path.  
“So where do you live?” Percy asked, taking a bite of his hotdog.  
“Well, I’m from San Francisco, but I’m finishing high school here and then going on to major in Architecture at NYU,” she replied truthfully.  
“Cool,” he answered. “What grade you in? Eleventh?”  
Annabeth nodded, her mouth full. She swallowed and asked, “You?”  
“Twelfth,” he answered. The conversation continued in like manner as they walked down the beach, eating and laughing. The rest of the afternoon flew by.  
When they parted, Percy smiled hopefully. “You doing anything tomorrow?”  
“No, actually,” Annabeth replied, guiltily pushing away the thoughts of the report into the back of her mind.  
“Would you like to meet at that coffee shop by Central Park?” he asked. “We could grab some coffee and just hang out for a while. I – I mean, I don’t have much homework yet or anything since school just started a few weeks ago, and swim team doesn’t start until Wednesday – ”  
Annabeth grinned. “Be there are 11. Oh, and here’s my phone number,” she added, scribbling it down on a piece of paper. Percy accepted it with a smile and gave her his, then walked down back down the sidewalk.  
(And no, Annabeth certainly did not watch him walk away with a little secret smile on her face and skip the rest of the way to the elevator and all the way to her room. Definitely not.)  
The rest of the night, Annabeth’s mind argued with itself. _You have a report to work on! You need to devote all your attention to it! Architectural scholarships, Annabeth. Remember, you need top-of-the-line grades to have even a hope of a grant._  
But the other part wasn’t exactly happy about it. _Percy is a really nice guy. You’ve been working too hard, Annabeth. You deserve a break._  
_No!_ her practical side disputed. _You have to finish this report. You have to get this scholarship._  
Oh, shut up, Annabeth told it. I want to go tomorrow. I’ll finish the report later.  
And she went to bed, thinking only of Percy’s bright smile, and how he threw his head back when he laughed, and the way the sun caught in his black hair and made it glint as though created of obsidian.  
_You have a serious crush,_ Annabeth, her practical brain told her warningly.  
Annabeth ignored it and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing she saw was a cup of coffee flying towards her.  
She blinked, frozen by the door of the coffee shop. The jingle of the bell had not yet died and it echoed as a dozen customers sat, staring at her coffee-saturated hair, stained, soaked clothes, and the puddle of brown liquid at her feet.  
“Oh, shoot, Annabeth!” A young man with black hair rushed up to her. “I am so, so sorry.” He rapidly began sopping up the puddle. “I had just gotten my coffee and I tripped and it went flying out of my hand just as you walked in, and – ”  
“Um… don’t worry about it,” Annabeth answered, still a bit dazed. She glanced down at Percy, his cheeks red as strawberries, and began talking faster. “Hey, Percy, it’s fine. No damage done, and I don’t really care about these clothes.” She glanced down at her orange t-shirt she had gotten from summer camp years ago and jean shorts. The material was saturated with hot coffee; she could be thankful she wasn’t burned.  
A waitress rushed from behind the counter with more napkins. “Are you okay, ma’am?”  
Annabeth laughed, beginning to find the situation funny. “I’m totally fine, don’t worry about it,” she answered. She reached down and grasped Percy’s hand, lifting him to his feet. “And Percy, it’s totally fine.”  
Percy’s apple-red cheeks began to fade. “If – if you want you can go back to your dad’s apartment and change.”  
“Nah, it’s a bit of a walk from here,” Annabeth replied, stooping and picking up the damp napkins. The buzz of talk began to rise again as the other customers started their conversations again. “How about I grab some tea and then we can just walk around?”  
Percy nodded, still obviously embarrassed.  
“Honey, your tea’s on the house,” the waitress assured her. “What kind can I get you?”  
Annabeth smiled warmly at the flustered barista. “I’d love some vanilla chai, thanks.”  
After Annabeth had gotten her tea and Percy had sheepishly gotten more coffee, careful to watch where he was going this time, they headed out the door and began meandering down the busy sidewalk.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to change?” he asked anxiously. “I can take you in my car or something.”  
Annabeth laughed, remembering why she had agreed to come meet Percy again. His mix between flustered awkwardness and normally smooth demeanor could charm anyone. “Percy, this is New York. It’d be faster to walk. And,” she continued, tugging at her damp shirt, “It’s warm out, but there’s a breeze. My clothes are drying already, and my hair, well, I’ll just take a shower tonight.”  
Percy exhaled in relief. “So you’re really not mad?” he asked hopefully.  
Annabeth giggled, before remembering that Annabeth Chase did not giggle. _Oh well, she is now,_ she thought ruefully. When she was around Percy, she just seemed to laugh more in general. “Percy, it’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it.”  
“Ok, then,” Percy answered with a lopsided grin. “So how’s your assignment going? The architecture report, right?”  
“You remembered,” she answered, surprised and a little touched that he had payed attention to even the smallest of details she had divulged yesterday. “Um, it’s going… great,” she finished, probably not hiding her guilt too well. In truth she had been much to distracted with thoughts of Percy to work on anything last night.  
His grin broadened. “You haven’t worked on it, have you?”  
She stopped and faced him, laughing. “How did you know?”  
Percy seemed to turn a little sheepish. “I… I just guessed.”  
Annabeth raised her eyebrow but didn’t comment. Instead, she took a sip of her tea and smiled, inhaling the smell. “Chai always reminds me of fall,” she said.  
“Really?” Percy asked. “Is fall your favorite season?”  
“Yes,” Annabeth replied without hesitation. “Well, in California there are pretty much two seasons, summer and when it rains.” They laughed together. “But when I was younger, my dad and I would take an annual camping trip to Northern Washington. The leaves would be these amazing shades of red and orange and yellow, and I remember the smell of the campfires and the fallen leaves and the sky would be such a bright blue that it would hurt your eyes, and…” she found herself rambling, something she never did. Annabeth strived to make her sentences complete and proper and clipped. She was an introverted soul, hurt too many times for her to come easily out of her shell. But Percy made it so easy, she found herself wondering where he had been her whole life. They could have been best friends for years, the way she poured out memories and dreams on that short walk to Central Park, and yet she had just met him yesterday.  
Percy listened silently to her descriptions of her childhood. When she had finally paused, he spoke. “That’s neat how your dad took time to take you camping,” he said quietly. “My dad disappeared when I was only a baby.”  
Annabeth could tell he didn’t want pity, but her heart broke out of its shell even further as she answered softly, “I’m… I’m sorry, Percy.” Immediately she cursed herself. _Don’t let him get close,_ her mind whispered. _Do you want it to be like last time? Do you want him to be able to hurt you, like Luke?_ The thought was so strong that she physically raised a hand against it, as though it could be brushed away and forgotten. No, memories were hard to forget, especially her memories of Luke.  
“It’s okay,” Percy replied, and Annabeth jerked herself back to reality. “At least I have my mom still. She’s amazing.” He arched his black eyebrow when he saw her clenched fist. “What’s the matter?”  
“Um, nothing,” Annabeth stammered. “Just… just thought I saw a spider.”  
He laughed, and Annabeth found herself once again drawn to the young man. The sun caught in his black hair and made it glint, soft and shiny and messy-cute-bedhead. Annabeth rolled her eyes at herself. _Look at you, with the grade-school-girl crush. Percy’s a great guy. But keep it at friendship. Don’t let it get any farther._  
“Are you afraid of spiders?” he asked.  
“Deathly,” she answered, mock-shuddering. “They’re horrible. Even if it’s a tiny one, I just completely freak out. It’s weird, I know,” she added, catching the look on his face.  
“No, no, it’s not weird,” Percy answered, shaking his head. “I have a fear of flying. Like, not of being off the ground, exactly, just being… I don’t know, suspended in the air ready to drop thousands of feet at any moment?”  
Annabeth laughed too, a bit breathless, her cheeks flushed. “I guess I get that. It’s a little more rational of a fear than spiders, though.”  
Percy glanced at her, and she suddenly felt shy under his gaze. “Um, what?” she asked as they sat down on a bench overlooking some of the trees of the park.  
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just thought your eyes were really cool.”  
She smiled confusedly. “My eyes?”  
“Well, yeah, I mean, you’ve got the blond hair and tan and you’re tall and not that I was really noticing or anything but you kind of look like the girl who would live in California, but your eyes are really fierce and stormy and _wow_ I’m rambling, just forget I said anything.” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away, his cheeks fire-alarm red.  
Annabeth giggled, and oh why was she blushing again and why did her stomach feel like a zoo of butterflies had just been released? “Um, thanks, I guess.”  
Percy flushed again. “Yeah. Anyway, so today’s Saturday, which means I should eventually get home and start on homework. And, I mean, I don’t know if you have anything else to do but maybe we could go by your apartment and you could pick up your homework, and then maybe you could help me with my calculus homework because if you like architecture you must be good at math, and no, this is a stupid idea, I shouldn’t have said anything.”  
Annabeth burst into laughter. “Of course I’ll help you, dork. All I had planned for the rest of the day anyway was homework too.” She stood up. “But there’s no reason you should go all the way to my apartment and back. Tell you what, just text me your address. I’ll run home and change and grab my stuff, then I’ll go to your apartment.”  
Percy stood too. “Well, I don’t want to put you out or anything…”  
“Don’t worry about it.” Annabeth flashed him a grin. “Just go home and get started, and I’ll be there in maybe thirty or forty-five minutes.”  
On her way home, Annabeth tried to argue with her mind – again. _I’m getting my homework done and am able to see Percy again,_ she contended. _It’s a win-win._  
_You can’t let Percy get too close. There’s a reason you don’t make friends easily. Just stick to school – architecture – and you’ll be safe. If Percy becomes more than a friend, there’s a chance he can betray you, same as Luke. Do you really want that? Are you willing to risk your heart again for a guy?_  
_Percy’s not like Luke,_ she answered. _Not all guys are the same._  
_Oh yes, they are, Annabeth,_ it answered. _Wait and see._  
She pushed the thought out of her mind as she reached her apartment. _I’m tired of being alone. Percy can be a friend. No more than that._  
She reached her room and gazed at a picture of a smiling blond-haired, grey-eyed little girl and a laughing blond teenage guy with a long scar on his face. _I swear._


End file.
